Me, Page
by Kaylintayne
Summary: The sequel to My First test. I am Alanna of Corus. I have always dreamed of being a knight, I have made it through my first test, but still must get past the years of a page before becoming a squire, then a knight.
1. Chapter 1

Chapter 1

So I had done it.

I had finished my first test.

I had to admit I knew I would. Despite the bitter pretests from Ron and the other Pages.

The nick name Horse stuck with me. Every time I did something stupid or foolish-or even if I made an honest mistake.

I didn't care.

I was a loner, I didn't need anyone's help.

Though I thought it would be nice. My arms and legs burned all the time from the hard work.

And my eyes strained to see my work at night.

Me and Rake became even better friends. I don't really know why, seeing I am so mean to him all the time. But it is good to have at least one person to do my work with. Even if he is just a gardener.

It was Sunday, the day I had off when I was with Rake rushing to finish my homework.

I finished quickly, hoping to be able to go down to a stream outside of the city to bathe, or maybe just play around in.

I finished my work, said good bye, and started off to my room.

I was going past a courtyard door when something caught my eye.

Movement mayhap.

I stopped to look.

In the center of the empty cobblestone courtyard was a small dark lump.

It was rather big-maybe the size of my head, but longer.

I stared at it for a second or two before I realized what it was.

It was a bird. With sleek black fathers and a shining black beak. It stayed impossibly still. So I walked up to it. Looking down at it.

It looked as if it's wing might be broken. It lay there helpless, it's yellow eyes darting up at me with a pleading look.

I don't really know why I picked that bird up. I don't like animals much, in fact I hate most of them. Like my filly in the barn. But something told me to pick this little bird up. I did. I cradled it against my body without dropping my books, and walked out of the courtyard.

I guess I thought that I should take it to Diane, the wild mage.

Well, that's what I did, because next thing I knew I was knocking on her door.

She flung it open, a smile on her face, her curly hair bobbing.

"What's this?" she asked, her face going dark. She gently took the bird from my hand and cradled in in her own, gently cooing it.

I stood in the doorway, unable to move.

"Oh the poor little bird. Flown in from quite a ways off didn't you?" She soothed.

Then looked over its wing. When she had bandaged the wing I came into the room, which smelt of animals and had them crawling everywhere.

Then Diane looked at the crow in the eyes.

She almost yelped, then muttered sorry quite a few times to the bird.

She handed me the bird.

"There you have it." She said brushing the hair from her eyes.

"Have what?"

"Your bird. He will be as right as rain in a week or too, just make sure he stays off that wing of his."

"But he isn't my bird." She snorted.

"Of course he is. He chose you-oh my, I am terribly sorry how rude, I didn't even ask your name." She looked me in the eyes.

"Alanna." I finally managed.

"After the Lioness? How nice!" Diane had turned and started shifting through boxes of things. "Mine is Diane, though since you found me you probably already knew who I was."

"Why can't you keep the bird?"

"The Bird, has a name. And he doesn't want to stay, he told me that you were his master." I almost laughed, but the seriousness of her words made me not.

"What is his name?" I asked, looking at the bird. Diane stopped, rubbed her chin in thought.

"To say it in common is-more than difficult."

"Caw!" he cried.

"Oh yes, that's right, you told me she can call you Caw." Diane then looked at me.

"How original." I muttered. Why was I getting stuck with this bird? I should have just left him in the courtyard.

Diane had finished digging through boxes and pulled out a bird cage, then went across the room and dragged a hook that would stand on the floor up next to it.

"Here you are." She said, then went through her cabinets until she found a bottle of something. The label was worn off, and there was about half a bottle left.

"Go ahead and put a drop of it in a water dish for him, it will help him get better." She then looked me up and down. "I'll call a page to help you take this stuff to your room."

"No, no!" I said suddenly. "I can take two trips." So I left the bird with her and put the medicine in my pocket, pulled the heavy pole to the bird cage stand over my shoulder and grabbed the cage in the other. I made off to my room. Getting sneers from my fellow pages. And then went back. I gathered my homework and Caw, whom Diane had wrapped up in a blanket, and set off back to my room. When I had Caw all settled in the cage, with an empty inkwell full of water, and bread crumbs on the bottom of the cage Diane had knocked on my door. She brought me seed for Caw, a small one pound bag, but it would last awhile, mixed with bread crumbs as she told me too.

That night Caw was silent as he slept. And I fell asleep thinking how stupid I was for picking up a bird-now what was I to do?


	2. Chapter 2

Chapter 2

Caw woke me up with a jolt.

I swore at the idiot bird, then heard a person tearing out of my room, dropping a bucket of water on the floor.

I so the back of Ron as he ran through the door and out of sight down that hall.

I looked over to see Caw looking at me with intent yellow eyes.

"Thank you." I finally said. Then got up and dressed. I must stop leaving my door unlocked. I went and closed and locked the door, then opened Caw's cage and set him on the bed. I wrapped him in a blanket so he wouldn't hurt himself and fed him stale bread that I had taken from the kitchen that night.

He ate little of the bread with his thin, curved beak, but enough for me to put down more.

I opened the window to let fresh air in, and changed.

By the time I was done the sun had shone her fingers over the horizon and the morning bells had rung.

I put Caw carefully back into the cage and locked the door.

Then made sure he had water with the medicine Daine had given me, and stuffed a few more pieces of bread into the cage.

I gathered up my books, finished what homework I had, and went off to breakfast.

I didn't eat in the mess like everyone else. I enjoyed a quiet meal with Rake out in the garden.

He was a chatter box, when it came to plants, and he was helping me commit to memory all the herbs and plants I would find in the forest I could live off of.

"And what can you eat that flowers?" he asked as I was nibbling a bread role. I thought for a second.

"The roots of Queen Anne's Lace. Garlic mustard sprouts, and, and-" I looked at him, but came up with the answer. "Dandy lion leaves." He nodded. Then continued to eat.

"And what if you get a cut? Or a gash in your leg?" he asked. I thought for a minute.

"Call for help?" I asked. He laughed.

"Lambs ear Alanna. Lambs ear." He grabbed the leaf from a near by plant that hugged low to the ground, and had many light colored fuzzy leaves. He handed it to me. "It grows as a weed here in the castle. But if you break it open you can smear the juice of the leaf on a sore to make it feel better, or a bug bite so it won't itch, or use the leaves whole for bandages." I took the leaf and felt the fuzziness of it to my face. It was soft, just like a lamb's ear.

I heard the bells chime so I gathered my books up and dishes and skimmed through the kitchen and out to the rest of the Pages.

The day was boring the staff fight and sword fighting went without incident, though against Ron's wishes. Twice he tried to strike me out of order. But twice I ballade him back.

When I got to my room Caw greeted me. I pulled him out of his cage and let him hop around the room.

He had eaten all the bread while I was gone, and the little from the water was gone. After replacing the water, and doing my homework I put him back in the cage.

I fell asleep and had fitful rest.

I woke up to have Caw's claws landing gently on my forehead. I still jerked awake. He jumped to the bed between my legs, and fixed his yellow eye on me. I must have left the cage door agar.

"Caw!" He croaked. I groaned and flopped back in bed, then stuffed the pillow over my head.

"Go back to bed you demon bird." I moaned. I felt him land on the small of my back.

"Caw!" He pecked at the blanket, it was to thick for his sharp beak. "Caw!" I grumbled ineludible words even for me.

"Caw!" he cried, jumping to the floor, in the direction of the door, and for a terrible moment I thought I had slept through the bells.

I jerked awake and looked at the window, thin cold rays of sun were starting to sparkle over the horizon.

Then the bells rang.

I cursed, louder then I wanted to, and threw my pillow in Caw's direction.

Then turned over as I was listening to the bells.

I worked my way out of bed slowly.

Cursing how much I hated that bird.

I would have to give him back to Daine, this wasn't working. As if hearing my thoughts he jumped up, fluttering his wings and landing on my head.

I cursed him again-I seemed to be cursing a lot.

He stayed there as I washed my face, hands and arms, then when I brushed my hair he hopped to the mirror, watched as I put on my tunic and trousers.

I heard the bells for breakfast and put Caw in the cage hurriedly, then, ran for breakfast.

When the lessons I had had finished their torture on me I did my homework with Rake and went back to my rooms.

Caw had gotten out of his cursed cage again. I made a point not to swear at the droppings and the ripped up feather pillow he left on me bed.

I cleaned up and went to the cage. I realized then that the lock was broken, I hadn't noticed it when I had put him in the cage earlier.

So I grabbed a bangle bracelet I had, and bent it around the lock as a replacement.

I fell asleep again and had fitful sleep.

Something about the woman who had died still haunted me.


	3. Chapter 3

Chapter 3

I caught a nasty cold, and felt like I was going to cough my lungs up. Caw didn't help screaming in the middle of the night.

On Thursday they gave me class off when I was so sick I could barely focus. I slept away most of the day, and when I awoke Rake had come in to see how I was doing.

I yelled at him because I had lost my pen and couldn't find it-it sounds silly now, but it was the sickness talking, I know that now.

"Settle down Alanna." He said, pulling the covers closer to my chin and giving me a sip of raspberry twisly.

"But if I don't find it I will flunk classes!" I cried, whipping the tears from my face. He smiled.

"Your sick Alanna, I know it's the sick talkin. Now get some sleep."

"What if I don't want to get some sleep." I pouted.

"Then sit there and rot." He said, gingerly kissing me on the forehead.

I didn't find it strange then, I do now.

Why would he kiss me?

He replaced the wet rag on my head and left the room.

I fell asleep after determined that I wouldn't because I wanted to show him I would rot.

I awoke at 5, and was so disoriented on what time it was I was dressing in my page uniform when Rake came to check on me again.

"There is the Rain Cloud." He said, setting a tray of food on the desk. "Here's your dinner." It was then I realized it wasn't time to get up, and I sat on the bed.

"Thank you." I said, I was starving, and my throat was as dry as parchment.

Rake left and I ate and went back to bed.

I fell asleep unto the morning bells, and arouse with them. I found my pen, which had rolled under the desk, and went off to breakfast.

No one had cheery faces to welcome me, and it was then I remembered I was alone besides Rake. When class was done I wrote my family, not that they really cared what I was doing. They were just glad they didn't have my mouth to feed.

I finished and fell asleep on the paper.

When I awoke it was because of that demon bird hopping onto my head.

"Curse you!" I cried, jolting awake. I looked about the room to find his droppings on the sheets.

I scrubbed the droppings from them, then locked him back in his cage.

I would really have to get that lock fixed.

Caw's wing was thankfully healing, birds heal quicker than humans I guess. Because he was already flapping it up and down when I got back to the room the next night.

Daine said that he would be able to get his bandage off in a week or two. Depending on him.

I was less than glad to take care of him that long-still, I was getting use to the little urchin.

Ron was no nicer to me as the days followed. But I learned to live with him.

I finished the exsams with flying colors, but still had not friended the other girl that was here.

I was devastated on my 12 birthday, I will admit. To start my monthlies.

Curse the god that ever thought that was a good idea.

I was irritable that week. Though Rake didn't even notice. No one understood the pain that I had to go through.

But I didn't really care. I just soldiered on.


	4. Chapter 4

Chapter 4

I got stung by a wasp. Ghastly things. I didn't scream. But this is how it happened.

One of the stupid Pages was in the barn, trying to knock down a wasp nest. I knocked the stupid boy out of the way before it dropped on his head, and got a nasty sting on my hand.

He grumbled a thanks as we booked it out of the barn.

That yesterday, and I still have a small bump on my hand.

Rake says he got stung when he was younger and his arm swelled to the size of a pigs rump, apparently he is allergic to it somehow.

Caw's wing is all better now, though I think he limps for sympathy, I took him to Daina and told her I didn't want him. But she insisted he had to stay with me.

So I opened the windows and shooed him out, he was a wild animal, he could take care of himself.

But the next morning I woke with the pox-rotten bird standing on my forehead. I cursed him and shoved him off.

Caw screeched and flew to land on the bed post. I sat up and rubbed my eyes, how it the scumer bird get in?

I changed and finished my homework, skimming through the reading I had for history. Then I heard the bells go off for breakfast. Caw jumped onto my shoulder. And I walked from the room with my books. I was met by Ron in the hall, he slammed into me making me fall to the ground, spilling my books across the floor.

"Sorry there, stump." He looked to spit on the ground, but Caw leapt into the air and beat him with his wings. I laughed, for the first time happy I had him.

Ron left off for the mess as I collected my books.

As I went for the last book a pair of hands picked it up. I looked at them a long moment before tracing the arms up to the face.

It was the other girl page. She met my eyes levelly.

"Here." She said, handing it to me. I took it. Her hazel eyes searched my eyes. "My name is Jasmine." She told me. So she was the girl that was left. I nodded thanks to her. She smiled a little.

We walked into the mess and she went to sit with the boys she had made friends with. I sat alone.

In the next few days she and I saw more of each other.

Until my monthlies came and cursed at everyone.

I sat by myself, my stomach upset from the monthlies, picking at my food when she came up to me.

"Monthlies?" she asked. I stared at her for a moment, it was just me and her in ear shot. I nodded. "It sucks doesn't it?" she sympathized. I stared at her.

Someone understood.

The brilliant revaluation made me smile.

"Here, this tea helps with it." She said, handing a small box of tea bags to me. Then she smiled, leaning in real close. "Boys have no idea how much harder it is for us." She then smiled, squinting her eyes, and walked off.

I hardly know her.

And she is the only person who understands me.


End file.
